Style

My style of wedding photography is a blend of documentary and 'informal portrait'.

I work around you and your guests so you are free to enjoy your day. Getting ready, walking down the aisle, the service all those fun and meaningful interactions between you two and your guests and of course the first dance. Certain photographs I stage as they won't happen otherwise for example the groups and your portraits.

Even when I stage an image, I still try to keep it 'informal'. My view is that if I tell either of you exactly how to stand, without being professional models you will feel uncomfortable and if you feel uncomfortable, you will look uncomfortable in the photograph.

I will give you some overall direction and correct anything that looks awkward and I will also cast my eye over to check your dress etc but otherwise if you are looking happy, comfortable and in love I will leave you pretty much to it. I tend not to get drawn into the age old debate some photographers have regarding whether the thumb should be left out when your hands are in your pockets. I mean, its a thumb! I'd much rather concentrate on making sure you are happy and comfortable.

Another big part of my style is that I engage with you and your guests in order to capture you from an inside perspective, rather than a passive bystander looking on. That is why some of my images feature wedding guests smiling towards the camera, they aren't staged, they just feel comfortable with me being around and being part of your big day.

In terms of look and feel of the images I am a big fan of prime lenses and I tend to favour these over zoom lenses more and more. Primes allow me to capture a much shallower depth of field which gives you that look where the subject is sharply in focus but the background is soft. It is very hard to achieve that look with zoom lenses at medium focal lengths due to the physics behind lense design. Primes are nearly always much sharper too.

I'm also a big fan of using artificial light where the ambient light isn't beautiful. Being able to control the light affects the image far more than any other factor. With great light, you get a great image. Technology has moved to the point where its possible to use studio type flash outdoors in a practical way and it can turn a nice image into a wow image.

Have a look through my image galleries to get a feel for how I work, but note I can tailor it towards your needs. If you are looking for more formal groups or completely no interaction between us then I can do that too, but we'll just need a chat beforehand to bottom that out and explain any implications. For example if you wanted absolutely no staged photographs, you would likely miss out on having any group images.